Passenger Trains > .

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/20 19:43 by F40PHR231.

Very nice coverage, Chris!

What do you use to make your maps for these threads? I have been wanting to make a map of the former Santa Fe Pasadena Subdivision, showing the various segments and their usage today.

Your 4th picture at Staples reminds me of the NBA game to be played there tonight. Go Clippers!

Rich

Nice! I'm looking forward to when that Expo Line will finally reach Santa Monica! Current buses between Downtown L.A. & Santa Monica on the weekends are PACKED!!

I'm always blown away by how CLEAR L.A. is, compared to "normal days" of heavy, orange haze a.k.a. smog. Normally, it's so bad that we can't see the mountains, much less the surrounding hills!

F40PHR231 Wrote:
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> 13) Some strange complex along the line... Google
> Maps also shows what appears to be a former rail
> line loop around this area, does anyone know the
> story behind that?
>
This the the Gateway Tower to the "Hayden Tract" in Culver City. Designed by architect Eric Owen Moss who's office is at the end of the street. There are many Moss designed buildings along Hayden Drive, most are somewhat "unusual" and not to many peoples' taste. For five years, I worked with a firm that was next door to his. And yes, there is evidence behind the warehouse-turned-studios that the area was once served by a rail loop. See http://laplaces.blogspot.com/2009/02/hayden-tract-experimental-architecture.html if interested.

By the way, I now work in a building that sits right on top of the Metro Center Station.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/13 17:31 by Arkeytek.

F40PHR231 Wrote:
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> Here's some coverage of the line to Culver City,
> which is a teal-colored line as emphasized on the
> map below, better known as the Expo Line.

I still get visions of foreigners visiting Los Angeles trying to figure out what color "EXPO" is.

BNSF6400 Wrote:
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> F40PHR231 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Here's some coverage of the line to Culver
> City,
> > which is a teal-colored line as emphasized on
> the
> > map below, better known as the Expo Line.
>
> I still get visions of foreigners visiting Los
> Angeles trying to figure out what color "EXPO" is.

And as soon as you explain to them that the line runs along Exposition Blvd, they "get it" right away.

Thanks Chris for the excellent work. Very informative and very useful for future trips. I have yet to ride this line. So many new transit lines in so many places, especially in the west, it is getting to keep up. Your work is a good intro. I hope for more!

There's been some agitation to name the Expo line the "Aqua" line, considering that they already use that color on the map. Several years before the line was actually built, an "arts collective" group made up signs that looked like official Metro/USDOT transit project signs but were strictly products of their "collective" imaginations. These were posted near the abandoned PE/SP tracks and were even covered by the local newspapers, but were not authorized and were somewhat embarassing to the Metro organization which probably hadn't agreed to actually built the line yet. We could call it a case of "life imitating art".

Regarding the "turnaround loop" near the Expo line: I'm not that familiar with the area, but what comes to mind is the LARy/LATL/LAMTA "J" line. This was one of the last five "Yellow Car" narrow gauge trolley lines that were abandoned in 1963. In their final years, the cars were all single-end PCCs, so a loop or wye was needed at each terminal to point the cars back downtown. The west end of the "J" was at 10th Ave. & Jefferson Blvd., and the loop was on the south side of Jefferson.

DNRY122 Wrote:
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> There's been some agitation to name the Expo line
> the "Aqua" line, considering that they already use
> that color on the map.

I suspect that the reason that a color has not yet been assigned to the Expo line is that in the long range plan, when the Regional Connector is completed, the Pasadena Gold Line trains will run through to the Long Beach Blue line route, and the East LA Gold Line trains will run through to Santa Monica. At that point, the Pasadena portion of the Gold Line will become a Blue Line, and the Expo line will become part the Gold Line.

Here are a couple of shots from the inaugural run of the "EXPO" line last year.


V

SLOCONDR

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To Chris' comment about the extension, it's going to Santa Monica. They were building a new station/overpass on Sepulveda by my wife's grnadmother's house when we were ther in February. I'll have to find the photo. Nice photo tour Chris, still need to ride this and the Gold line.

Nathan